Despite the fact that plumbing pipes run throughout an entire home and underneath your property, with the potential for leaks and blockage to occur along several hundred feet of piping, plumbers tend to get called in for the same pesky problem over and over—a leaky sink. Leaks from the sink can range from a minor inconvenience to something that causes serious damage.
You want to get that leak fixed fast, but you likely don’t want to call in a plumber if you think you can fix it first. In some cases, this is true! An advanced knowledge of how to use common household tools could provide the help you need, as long as you do it right. For everything else, call our plumbers if you’re in Shoshone, ID!
Finding the Source of a Leak Underneath the Sink
Before you can attempt to repair a leak underneath a sink, you’ll have to find the source. It could be coming from a few different spots, but there are some ways to test things.
- Dribble water around the rim of the sink (while someone else looks underneath) to find leaks coming from the sink base.
- To find out if the drains are leaking, plug the sink and fill it up. Once the drain is pulled, look for dripping underneath the sink.
- To catch leaks at supply pipes and connections, try using a dry tissue to blot around the pipes, checking for moisture that may indicate a leak.
What to Do About Leaky Drains
One thing you can always try is tightening the slip nut. However, this may involve getting a special wrench to fit a slip nut, and for some homeowners, it’s simply easier to call in a plumber who already owns the right tools. Sometimes, you’ll need to remove the basket strainer and tighten the ring nut under the sink, using plumber’s putty to seal the pipe first.
Fixing Sink and Supply Leaks
Fixing a leak around the sink may be easy, if you can get the job done by tightening the mounting nuts underneath the sink fixture. However, you may have to scrape away the old caulk and re-caulk the sink rim.
Leaks from the supply line are a lot more difficult to repair. Of course, you must shut off the water supply first. If the leak is at the shutoff valve, you can try tightening the packing nut. However, in most cases, you’ll need to call in a plumber to repair or replace a leak at the joints or from corrosion.
Fixing a Leaky Faucet
Finally, we come to the most annoying of all sink leaks, the leaky faucet. The most common problem is a worn-down seat washer. In a common compression faucet, you can remove the decorative handle, unscrew the handle, and use a crescent wrench to loosen the packing nut before replacing the seat washer.
From here on, it’s a bit tough to explain when you’re not a professional plumber and don’t know what you’re looking at. Rather than risk a more severe leak, it’s easier and wiser to call in your local plumbers.
Contact Evans Plumbing Inc for your sink plumbing in Shoshone, ID.
